Portable, ergonomic work table eliminates data cable handling risks
From recent BICSI exhibitor TechInnovations Australia, "developed by technicians for technicians", the TechTable is a portable, ergonomically optimized work table designed to drastically eliminate manual handling risks associated with terminating data cabling, for significantly increased field productivity and more consistent quality of work.
As explained on TechInnovations' website, "the TechTable originated from the need for a more comfortable, efficient and consistent way of terminating patch panel cabling."
The product background continues, "Product developer David McKenzie-McHarg came up with the idea while working as a [structured cabling] technician. Having many years’ experience in the security, fire and electrical industries, he migrated to the field of data communications in 2006. In doing this, he was quickly introduced to the manual task of terminating patch panels; often performing this task for weeks and sometimes months at a time."
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"He immediately began to experience neck, shoulder and back pain, and was surprised to see that there was no set standard or minimum requirement for performing this manual task, with it generally being left to technicians to find solutions on site. This can be difficult as the conditions are always changing and most communications rooms are limited in space."
"We had a large number of technicians from several companies complete a body mapping survey to help identify the key areas of complaint," explains McKenzie-McHarg. "What was found was that a staggering 79% reported suffering from neck pain, 75% reported suffering from shoulder pain, and 75% reported suffering from lower back pain whilst terminating data cabling."
He continues, "Working closely with an OH&S consultant, a qualified ergonomist and an industrial engineer, we were able to design, develop and implement a simple, practical and cost effective solution. The TechTable was then field tested by several companies over a prolonged period of time and the benefits were immediately evident."
He concludes, "The TechTable not only managed to design out many of the identified manual handling risks, it also increased productivity by up to 24% -- and the quality of the work produced."
Learn more about the TechTable.
About the Author
Matt Vincent
Senior Editor
Matt Vincent is a B2B technology journalist, editor and content producer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in the full range of media content production and management, as well as SEO and social media engagement best practices, for both Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine and its website CablingInstall.com. He currently provides trade show, company, executive and field technology trend coverage for the ICT structured cabling, telecommunications networking, data center, IP physical security, and professional AV vertical market segments. Email: [email protected]
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